Iran Calls Khamenei's Death a 'Killing' Through Martyr Designation

Iran's state news agency labels Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a 'Martyr'—a term that in Shia theology means he was killed, not simply dead. The framing remains significant even as the actual circumstances stay unclear. Iran observes week-long funeral ceremonies through July 9 across Tehran, Qom, and Iraq's holiest Shia sites, a ritual that signals how the regime will narrate this moment to its base.